CfP: Hrant Dink Memorial Workshop 2011

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Hrant
Dink Memorial Workshop 2011

Freedom
of Expression

Istanbul,
May 26-29, 2011

Sabancı
University

in
collaboration with the International
Hrant Dink Foundation & Anadolu
Kültür

“If
all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and
only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more
justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power,
would be
justified in silencing mankind.”

(J. S. Mill, On
Liberty)

This year’s
Hrant Dink Memorial Workshop centers on the theme of “freedom of
expression,”
one of the most contentious issues in Turkey as well as in many other
contemporary societies. We would like to explore the legal,
philosophical,
ethical, aesthetic, political and practical dimensions of this
principle
defined in the broadest possible terms. Although we are interested in
comparative discussions of the laws and legal frameworks pertaining to
the
limitations of the freedom of expression in different social contexts,
considering that most limitations on this freedom may today be found
outside
the realm of legal actions, we especially welcome contributions that
analyze
impediments to the freedom of expression beyond the dynamics of simple
state
bans, and probe how acts of silencing, suppression and foreclosure are
made
broadly acceptable within different social-political and national
settings.
What are the processes through which certain expressions are deemed or
made
illegitimate while others are not? How do gender, class, ethnicity, and
other
forms of difference and inequality affect these processes? Who are the
actors
involved, what are their motivations and relative degrees of
effectivity? What
types of speech, if any, may cause harm, and who is thought to be
protected by
delimiting free speech? How do competing values come into play in the
exercise
and limitations of this freedom? These and related questions can be
explored
with reference to the following issues, although the topics of the
contributions need not be limited to them:

laws and
legal frameworks concerning freedom of expression

censorship
in literature and the arts

public
policies addressing, enacting, and limiting freedom of expression

academic
freedom

the role
of international institutions in the governance of freedom of expression

There are
limited funds for accommodation only
available for those participants who do not have other sources of
funding to
attend the workshop. When submitting your abstract, please indicate
your need
for an accommodation grant.